Wojciech Szczesny has opened up about the unusual circumstances surrounding his transfer from Juventus to Barcelona, revealing that he received virtually no salary in his first season in Spain.
The Polish goalkeeper explained in an interview with GQ Poland, that after leaving Juventus, he even considered retiring as a footballer.
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“Three days before I was due to officially announce my retirement, I told Lewy that I wouldn’t be playing for any club… unless it was Barcelona,”
“When they called, they probably knew it would be easy to convince me. I hadn’t lost my passion for football, I just wasn’t thrilled with the offers from top ten clubs. It wasn’t about negotiating the price… I didn’t want to play just for money.”
Szczesny played for free for one year for Barcelona after leaving Juventus. In fact, Szczensy’s first year at Barcelona was largely without pay.
“Everything I received financially from the club was exactly what I needed to pay back Juventus to end my contract early,” he admitted.
Before the transfer, Szczesny had been relegated to second choice behind new signing Di Gregorio at Juventus. After seven years and eight trophies with the club, he decided to terminate his contract one year early. Although there was a clause that required him to pay two million euros, that sum matched the salary Barcelona offered him, making the transfer seamless.
Szczensy’s open interview sheds light on the unique path that led him from disappointment at Juventus to a new adventure at one of Europe’s biggest clubs, and the personal sacrifices he made to make it happen.
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